Individual Basic Medical-Surgical Expense - H21

All Rate and Form Filings submitted to the Bureau of Insurance for review must be accompanied by the completed appropriate transmittal Document as well as the completed appropriate rate/form review checklist. The checklist must be completed by the company submitting the filing and must reference, for each item on the checklist, the location of each specific item in the filing. The transmittal Document takes the place of the cover letter requirement. Blank transmittal documents are attached here for your use.

REVIEW REQUIREMENTS	REFERENCE	DESCRIPTION OF REVIEW STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS
General format	24-A M.R.S.A. §2703	Readability, term of policy described, cost disclosed, form number in bottom left corner
Required provisions	24-A M.R.S.A. §2704	Entire contract – changes, time limit on certain defenses, reinstatement, notice of claims, payment of claims, claim forms, proof of loss, right to examine and return policy
Designation of Classification of Coverage	Rule 755, Sec. 6	The heading of the cover letter of any form filing subject to this rule shall state the category of coverage set forth in 24-A M.R.S.A. § 2694 that the form is intended to be in.
Classification, Disclosure, and Minimum Standards	Rule 755	Must comply with all applicable provisions of Rule 755 including, but not limited to, Sections 4, 5, 6(A), 6(C), 7(A), 7(B), and 7(D)
PPOs – Payment for Non-preferred Providers (as applicable)	24-A M.R.S.A. §2677-A(2)	The benefit level differential between services rendered by preferred providers and nonpreferred providers may not exceed 20% of the allowable charge for the service rendered.
Grace Period	24-A M.R.S.A. §2707	30 days
Notification prior to cancellation	24-A M.R.S.A. §2707-A, Rule 580	10 days prior notice, reinstatement required if insured has an organic brain disorder
Notice of claim	24-A M.R.S.A. §2709	Notice within 20 days. Failure to give notice shall not invalidate nor reduce any claim, if notice was given as soon as was reasonably possible.
Claim forms	24-A M.R.S.A. §2710	The insurer will furnish claim forms to the claimant. If such forms are not furnished within 15 days after the giving of such notice the claimant shall be deemed to have complied with the requirements of this policy for filing of claim forms.
Free look period	24-A M.R.S.A. §2717	10 day free look
Optional policy provisions	24-A M.R.S.A. §2718
Limits on priority liens	24-A M.R.S.A. §2729-A	No policy for health insurance shall provide for priority over the insured of payment for any hospital, nursing, medical or surgical services
Guaranteed Issue Products	24-A M.R.S.A. §2736-C	Requires guaranteed issue and renewal. Also community rated.
Standardized plans	24-A M.R.S.A. §2736-C, Rule 750	Carriers offering individual health plans in the state must have these plans available for purchase. Benefit levels defined in the Rule.
Renewal provision	24-A M.R.S.A. §2738	Policy must contain the terms under which the policy can or cannot be renewed
Child coverage	24-A M.R.S.A. §2742	Defined as under 19 years of age and are children, stepchildren or adopted children of, or children placed for adoption with the policyholder, member or spouse of the policyholder or member, no financial dependency requirement, court ordered coverage
Newborn coverage	24-A M.R.S.A. §2743	Newborns are automatically covered under the plan from the moment of birth for the first 31 days
Coverage for breast cancer treatment	24-A M.R.S.A. §2745-C	Must provide coverage for reconstruction of both breasts to produce symmetrical appearance according to patient and physician wishes.
Coverage for Psychologists	24-A M.R.S.A. §2744	Must include benefits for psychologists’ services to the extent that the same services would be covered if performed by a physician.
Social Workers/Psychiatric Nurses	24-A M.R.S.A. §2744	Benefits must be included for the services of social workers and psychiatric nurses to the extent that the same services would be covered if performed by a physician.
Chiropractic Coverage	24-A M.R.S.A. §2748	Provide benefits for care by chiropractors at least equal to benefit paid to other providers treating similar neuro-musculoskeletal conditions.
AIDS	24-A M.R.S.A. §2750	May not provide more restrictive benefits for expenses resulting from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or related illness
Coverage of certified nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives	24-A M.R.S.A. §2757	Coverage of nurse practitioners and nurse midwives and allows nurse practitioners to serve as primary care providers
Coverage for services provided by registered nurse first assistants	24-A M.R.S.A. §2758	Benefits must be provided for coverage for surgical first assisting benefits or services shall provide coverage and payment under those contracts to a registered nurse first assistant who performs services that are within the scope of a registered nurse first assistant's qualifications.
Anesthesia for Dentistry	24-A M.R.S.A. §2760	Anesthesia & associated facility charges for dental procedures are mandated benefits for certain vulnerable persons.
Health plan accountability	Rule 850	Standards in this rule include, but are not limited to, required provisions for grievance and appeal procedures, emergency services, and utilization review standards.
Penalty for noncompliance with utilization review	24-A M.R.S.A. §2749-B	penalty of more than $500 for failure to provide notification under a utilization review program
Penalty for failure to notify of hospitalization	24-A M.R.S.A. §2749-A	No penalty for hospitalization for emergency treatment
Mental health mandated offer	24-A M.R.S.A. §2749-C	Parity with physical illness for mental health services must be offered.
Limitations on exclusions and waiting periods	24-A M.R.S.A. §2850	A preexisting condition exclusion may not exceed 12 months, including the waiting period, if any. This section goes on to describe restrictions to preexisting condition exclusions.
Definition of UCR	24-A M.R.S.A. §4303(8)	The data used to determine this charge must be Maine specific and relative to the region where the claim was incurred.
Grievance and Appeal Procedures	Rule 850	All policies must contain all grievance and appeal procedures as referenced in Rule 850
Guaranteed Renewal	24-A M.R.S.A. §2850-B	Renewal guaranteed for policies under Section 2736-C.
Notice Regarding Policies or Certificates Which are Not Medicare Supplement Policies	24-A M.R.S.A. §5013, Rule 275, Sec. 17(D)	There must be a notice predominantly displayed on the first page of the policy that states: "THIS [POLICY OR CERTIFICATE] IS NOT A MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT [POLICY OR CONTRACT]. If you are eligible for Medicare, review the Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare available from the company."
Domestic Partner Coverage (Mandated offer)	24-A M.R.S.A. §2741-A	Coverage must be offered for domestic partners of individual policyholders or group members. This section establishes criteria defining who is an eligible domestic partner.
Definition of Medically Necessary	24-A M.R.S.A. §4301-A, Sub-§10-A	Forms that use the term "medically necessary" or similar terms must include this new definition verbatim.
Health Plan Improvement Act	24-A M.R.S.A. §4301 - §4314	These sections describe requirements for health plans offered in Maine. The requirements include, but are not limited to: access to clinical trials, access to prescription drugs, utilization review standards, and independent external review
Notice of Rate Increase	24-A M.R.S.A. §2735-A	Requires that insurers provide a minimum of 60 days written notice to affected policyholders prior to a rate filing for individual health insurance or a rate increase for group health insurance. It specifies the requirements for the notice. See these sections for more details.
UCR Required Disclosure	24-A M.R.S.A. §4303(8)(A)	Clearly disclose that the insured or enrollee may be subject to balance billing as a result of claims adjustment and provide a toll-free number that an insured or enrollee may call prior to receiving services to determine the maximum allowable charge permitted by the carrier for a specified service.
Prohibition against Absolute Discretion Clauses Effective 9/13/03	24-A M.R.S.A. §4303(11)	Carriers are prohibited from including or enforcing absolute discretion provisions in health plan contracts, certificates, or agreements.
Coverage of licensed pastoral counselors and marriage and family counselors	24-A M.R.S.A. §2744	Must include benefits for licensed pastoral counselors and marriage and family therapists for mental health services to the extent that the same services would be covered if performed by a physician.
Coverage for breast reduction and symptomatic varicose vein surgery (Mandated offer)	24-A M.R.S.A. §2761	Coverage must be offered for breast reduction surgery and symptomatic varicose vein surgery determined to be medically necessary
Credit toward Deductible	24-A M.R.S.A. §2723-A(3)	When an insured is covered under more than one expense-incurred health plan, payments made by the primary plan, payments made by the insured and payments made from a health savings account or similar fund for benefits covered under the secondary plan must be credited toward the deductible of the secondary plan. This subsection does not apply if the secondary plan is designed to supplement the primary plan.
Extension of coverage for dependent children with mental or physical illness	24-A M.R.S.A. §2742-A	Requires health insurance policies to continue coverage for dependent children up to 24 years of age who are unable to maintain enrollment in college due to mental or physical illness if they would otherwise terminate coverage due to a requirement that dependent children of a specified age be enrolled in college to maintain eligibility.
Coverage for hearing aids	24-A M.R.S.A. §2762	Coverage is required for the purchase of hearing aids for each hearing-impaired ear for the following individuals: From birth to 5 years of age if the individual is covered under a policy or contract that is issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2008. From 6 to 13 years of age if the individual is covered under a policy or contract that is issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2009. From 14 to 18 years of age if the individual is covered under a policy or contract that is issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2010.
Coverage for Dependent Children Up to Age 25	24-A M.R.S.A. §2742-B	An individual health insurance policy that offers coverage for dependent children must offer such coverage until the dependent child is 25 years of age. Pursuant to §2742-B the child must be unmarried, have no dependent of their own, be a resident of Maine or be enrolled as a full-time student, and not have coverage under any other health policy/contract or federal or state government program. An insurer shall provide notice to policyholders regarding the availability of dependent coverage under this section upon each renewal of coverage or at lease once annually, whichever occurs more frequently. Notice provided under this subsection must include information about enrolment periods and notice of the insurer’s definition of and benefit limitations for preexisting conditions.
Coverage for persons under the influence of alcohol or narcotics	24-A M.R.S.A. §2728	Policies cannot contain the following provision: “Intoxicants and narcotics. The insurer is not liable for any loss sustained or contracted in consequence of the insured’s being intoxicated or under the influence of anynarcotic or of any hallucinogenic drug, unless administered on the advice of a physician.”
Coverage for Dental Hygienists	24-A M.R.S.A §2765	Coverage must be provided for dental services performed by a licensed independent practice dental hygienist services under the contract and when they are when those services are covered within the lawful scope of practice of the independent practice dental hygienist.
Telemedicine Services	24-A M.R.S.A. §4316	A carrier offering a health plan in this State may not deny coverage on the basis that the coverage is provided through telemedicine if the health care service would be covered were it provided through in-person consultation between the covered person and a health care provider. Coverage for health care services provided through telemedicine must be determined in a manner consistent with coverage for health care services provided through in-person consultation. A carrier may offer a health plan containing a provision for a deductible, copayment or coinsurance requirement for a health care service provided through telemedicine as long as the deductible, copayment or coinsurance does not exceed the deductible, copayment or coinsurance applicable to an in-person consultation.
Childhood Immunizations	24-A M.R.S.A. §4302(1)(A)(5)	Childhood immunizations must be expressly covered or expressly excluded in all policies. If childhood immunizations are a covered benefit it must be expressly stated in the benefit section. If childhood immunizations are not a covered benefit then this must be expressly stated as an exclusion in the policy.
Calculation of health benefits based on actual cost	24-A M.R.S.A. §2185	Policies must comply with the requirements of 24-A §2185 which requires calculation of health benefits based on actual cost. All health insurance policies, health maintenance organization plans and subscriber contracts or certificates of nonprofit hospital or medical service organizations with respect to which the insurer or organization has negotiated discounts with providers must provide for the calculation of all covered health benefits, including without limitation all coinsurance, deductibles and lifetime maximum benefits, on the basis of the net negotiated cost and must fully reflect any discounts or differentials from charges otherwise applicable to the services provided. With respect to policies or plans involving risk-sharing compensation arrangements, net negotiated costs may be calculated at the time services are rendered on the basis of reasonably anticipated compensation levels and are not subject to retrospective adjustment at the time a cost settlement between a provider and the insurer or organization is finalized.
Explanations Regarding Deductibles	24-A M.R.S.A. §2413	All policies must include clear explanations of all of the following regarding deductibles: Whether it is a calendar or policy year deductible. Clearly advise whether non-covered expenses apply to the deductible. Clearly advise whether it is a per person or family deductible or both.
Explanations for any Exclusion of Coverage for work related sicknesses or injuries	24-A M.R.S.A. §2413	If the policy excludes coverage for work related sicknesses or injuries, clearly explain whether the coverage is excluded if the enrollee is exempt from requirements from state workers compensation requirements or has filed an exemption from the workers compensation laws.
Autism Spectrum Disorders	24-A M.R.S.A. §2766	Policies and contracts must provide coverage for autism spectrum disorders for an individual covered under a policy or contract who is 5 years of age or under in accordance with the following. The policy or contract must provide coverage for any assessments, evaluations or tests by a licensed physician or licensed psychologist to diagnose whether an individual has an autism spectrum disorder. The policy or contract must provide coverage for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders when it is determined by a licensed physician or licensed psychologist that the treatment is medically necessary. The policy or contract may not include any limits on the number of visits. The policy or contract may limit coverage for applied behavior analysis to $36,000 per year. An insurer may not apply payments for coverage unrelated to autism spectrum disorders to any maximum benefit established under this paragraph. Coverage for prescription drugs for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders must be determined in the same manner as coverage for prescription drugs for the treatment of any other illness or condition.
Early Childhood Intervention	24-A M.R.S.A. §2766	All individual health insurance policies and contracts must provide coverage for children's early intervention services in accordance with this subsection. A referral from the child's primary care provider is required. The policy or contract may limit coverage to $3,200 per year for each child not to exceed $9,600 by the child's 3rd birthday. “Children's early intervention services” means services provided by licensed occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists or clinical social workers working with children from birth to 36 months of age with an identified developmental disability or delay as described in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C, 20 United States Code, Section 1411 http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t17t20+4099+0++%28%29%20%20A.
Coverage of prosthetic devices to replace an arm or leg	24-A M.R.S.A. §4315	Coverage must be provided, at a minimum, for prosthetic devices to replace, in whole or in part, an arm or leg to the extent that they are covered under the Medicare program. Coverage is also required for prosthetic devices that contain a microprocessor. Coverage for repair or replacement of a prosthetic device must also be included.
Lifetime Limits and Annual Aggregate Dollar Limits Prohibited	§4317	An individual or group health plan may not include a provision in a policy, contract, certificate or agreement that purports to terminate payment of any additional claims for coverage of health care services after a defined maximum aggregate dollar amount of claims for coverage of health care services on an annual, lifetime or other basis has been paid under the health plan for coverage of an insured individual, family or group. A carrier may however offer a health plan that limits benefits under the health plan for specified health care services on an annual basis.

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